G and I went with our friend Mike to the newly-renovated NC Museum of Art. The visit was mainly to celebrate Mike's 60th birthday, so we spent a good amt. of time in the European collection (Mike was a European History major in college and is still a big-time history buff). I got to tell him about the process involved in religious icon-writing, we talked a lot about life in the Middle Ages, and we checked out the Museum's new Rodin sculpture garden, which had a lily pond at the center. It's been a fantastic day and I can't wait to go back to visit the parts we didn't see today!

Yesterday I went to see the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was fantastic! They had a ton of his dresses and accessories. The museum folks did a fabulous job putting the exhibit together. But it was beyond crowded! We waited online for an hour and a half before we could get in, and once we got in it was hard to move around because we were packed like sardines in there! LOL Enjoyed the exhibit anyway, but I wish I they would have allowed us to take pictures.

Me and Michael went to the Ontario Science Centre last week.Watched a film in the Omnimax theatre.Plan for next week is CNE on Wednesday. Like we go every year. And the Royal Ontario Museum on Friday. I mean why not. We get in for free.

It was my last day at one of my jobs yesterday, since school starts in two weeks. Over 20 of my co-workers gathered for a going away party for me which was absolutely awesome. We made the bar/restaurant we went to pretty rich, and I was shown so much love I can't describe it. I now live only 5 minutes away from the restaurant I've worked at since I decided to return to school after my 7 year hiatus, so I can visit and hang out with everyone whenever. Plus the university I'm attending is in a town where half the staff live and a few go there as well. Still, this is like a huge chapter of my life finishing, since I've formed so many friendships that have become really strong. With school going to be busy, and the video game quickly moving to important steps like speaking with lawyers and graphic designers, I might not see them for a bit; but I can't stay away for too long.

That's awesome! It's good to still be around the same people. I know that when I quit my job, quit school, and moved back home it was a jarring experience. The love of friends is one of the greatest things in this life. I still regret not seeing you on your Texan excursion.

My cousin posted this link on my facebook this morning, and I was shocked to find myself on the article. Its from the hearse club meet from Sat.. It made me laugh how the writer said some people came out in full goth look, like it was some planned costume (because isn't all clothes a costume of some sort?). Anyway, I had no one else to share this with, so I'm bothering you all with my nonsense.

(I'm the first one in the photo gallery...the one doing the weird arm thing. That wasn't my idea, by the way)

^^ Demeaning reporting re: what the reporter chooses not to understand... ahh it drives me nuts -- but it's still great that the event got coverage! And congrats on being in the article's "cover" photo!

I took a test yesterday to see whether I am a synesthete.SynesthesiaThe test site

I've always associated letters and numbers with certain colors, but never knew whether it was due to the colorful letter/number magnets I played with when I was little, or just how my mind works. I always thought it was weird so I tried to fight it and ignore it -- but it does help me remember names and numbers really well. Anyway, my test scores are just past the range of the clinical definitions of synesthesia -- so I'm not, but I tested close. It was interesting and fun.

Just got back from my trip to the south. I went to two different state parks to find gators but I didn't see any . I even went during prime basking time and made sure I found signs that said "dont feed the alligators."

I also ate fried pickles which were amazing and got to see many pretty mansions.

^^ Sorry about the lack of gators, but apart from that, hope you had a good time. I never had the nerve to touch fried pickles, I give you credit! After seeing someone take part in a fried-pickle-eating contest (it was a half-time show between roller derby bouts... the poor girl), I couldn't think about trying one. They're good though?

I went with Gareth and his parents to New Zealand! The trip was our Christmas present. We visited the North and South islands. The trip in a nutshell:

It was theoretically summer there, but unfortunately they were having a stint of cold, rainy, windy, damp weather during our trip. And lucky me, I brought only warm-weather clothes except for a sweatshirt and jeans, lol. We did get in a few clear days, though. We saw plenty of extended family, saw my sis-in-law's new townhouse (she is officially a veterinarian now! She starts work Jan. 23rd, lucky gal), and stayed at a cousin's new B&B for a night. We shopped a little on Ponsonby Row (where I got a great sleeveless black dress that I'll probably have for a decade); I got some beads too. We did plenty of hiking -- not quite enough, though, to burn off all the ice cream NZ ice cream is amazing! The hiking was serious; lots of steep trails with sheer cliff drop-offs, but the flora and the waterfalls offset the acrophobia. So thankful for sneakers with good tread! New Year's by the shore was beautiful and fun, though bone-chillingly damp. Another of Gareth's cousins runs an albatross-watching tour boat, so we got to see albatrosses -- wingspans of 5-6 feet -- and seal colonies as well.

Partway through the trip Gareth and I headed up to Russell for a few days, near the tip of the North Island, where it was warm sunny and clear. We finally had beach weather. I pocketed a few shells, of course, and on one hike (elevations are extreme in NZ b/c of its volcanic history) we found another beach, one with warnings about it being a kiwi reserve, and a note about it being a "naturist" beach. We thought that had a conservation meaning to it; not quite...

We did a lot of driving through the countryside, too (ok, not me; I didn't quite trust myself to drive on the left). LOTS of sheep, cows, horses, and the occasional alpaca farm. Rolling hills, more of those steep cliffs, and fish & chip shops (Gareth sampled most of them, lol).

Oh -- and there was archery; see left. Turns out I'm pretty decent at it. I think I want to take it up; got to find classes around here.

On Fri. night I went to an art opening that was also a jewelry trunk show. I was one of the necklace models for the photo shoot, and it was great to see and chat with all the other models, from so many different walks of life, and to hear live music from saxophonist Glen Ingram. Great also to meet up with the photographer again; I've done some portfolio consultation work for him in the past and am working on another project for him now. Seeing the jewelry designer was great too -- he's a fun guy; strange and full of stories but so wise too. I bought a pair of earrings he designed, to show support and also b/c they were just that pretty. I also met up with a friend of mine there; she brought her mom, and we talked a little about my designs. Lo and behold, she bought one of my necklaces from Etsy later that night. I'm meeting up with her Tuesday for frozen yogurt, girl talk and to give her the necklace in person. So, lots of arty goodness all around.

Yesterday i had a few hours to kill while a number of pieces were being printed for me at a photoshop, so I was going to swing by the bar to pass the time between noon and three. Then all of sudden I decided to spur of the moment buy flowers for the pretty twins who work at the bar, since they've been buying me shots and breakfast for the last few months and generally being cool. I walk in with the roses (color coordinated to match their hair highlights), and they're not there; switched days with another girl. So I left the flowers in the package goods fridge so they wouldn't die in the heat, and after three hours of hanging out, I was convinced by some of the girls there to bring the flowers to their house. To quote my friend J; "if you bought me flowers, you better bring them wherever the f--- I am so I can gush, what girl doesn't want gifts?" So, convinced, I swung by and knocked on their door, no answer, and just as I was bout to leave one of the girls came walking up from the brocery store kinda shocked I was there. I didn't want to seem intrusive, but explained their horrible scheduling change really threw a monkey wrench into my surprinsing them with roses. I found out the other sister didn't want to answer the door because she was still in her jammies without her hair and makeup done, and the one who was out kept saying who she must look a mess, yada yada. I was all like; "nonsense, you're beautiful".

^^ Tip: Roses are always a Win. Not to over-generalize, but if there's a woman out there who does not appreciate a gift of roses, either they came from a truly malignant character (which you're not) or she ought to have her uterus revoked. I'd say that's true of any gift, or any gift of flowers, but roses (regardless of color) tend to say "I thought of you and then worked to find something nearly as beautiful as you are."

And then we get to look at them for days. What's not to love about that?

^^ Tip: Roses are always a Win. Not to over-generalize, but if there's a woman out there who does not appreciate a gift of roses, either they came from a truly malignant character (which you're not) or she ought to have her uterus revoked. I'd say that's true of any gift, or any gift of flowers, but roses (regardless of color) tend to say "I thought of you and then worked to find something nearly as beautiful as you are."

And then we get to look at them for days. What's not to love about that?